The first production SUV VAZ-2121 «Niva» rolled off the assembly line of AvtoVAZ in Togliatti 48 years ago, on April 5, 1977. This car became a legend of the Soviet automobile industry and opened VAZ products to the world.
Marketers of the «Soviet era» positioned the new model «for fishermen and hunters». But the «Niva» appealed not only to those who like to wade through the mud in «Tmutarakan».
LADA Niva continues to be produced at the AvtoVAZ plant to this day with minimal changes in exterior and interior design. This became possible thanks to the successful design created by Valery Semushkin and the design developed under the leadership of Petr Prusov.
Several modifications were created based on the «short» Niva model. Among them: the extended version 2131, the minivan 2120 «Nadezhda», «Bronto», «Fora» and others.
More than two decades ago, the «New Niva» VAZ-2123 model was developed. In 2002, it became known as the Chevrolet Niva. For 18 years, its production was carried out at the GM-AVTOVAZ joint venture. Then the model returned to AvtoVAZ again under the name LADA Niva Travel.
Over 48 years, more than 3 million Niva cars and its modifications have been produced. Including about 700 thousand «Chevrolet Niva».
According to «Avtostat», as of January 1, 2025, the Russian car fleet included 1.33 million Niva SUVs under the LADA brand, including the «4x4» model. In addition, 636 thousand Niva SUVs were registered under the Chevrolet brand.
Over 48 years, more than 700 thousand VAZ SUVs have been exported. Niva fan clubs exist in many countries around the world.
Many years ago, my father, a veteran of AVTOVAZ, wrote such a quatrain. In my opinion, you can’t say better about «Niva»: A car with a happy fate is as rare as a diamond. And we are proud of our «Niva», it opened «VAZ» to the world!
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Sales at the start, but cars are in short supply: AvtoVAZ has assembled only 30 Lada Niva Sport cars
